When we finally moved to Paris in August 2021, we intentionally searched for a fully furnished apartment to avoid feeling rushing into decorating our new home. Moving to a new country where you don’t know the language is already difficult. Decorating a new apartment in a new country with a new language WITH a toddler felt impossible. Plus, we didn’t know the neighborhoods and everyone claims their arrondissement is the best arrondissement. Kevin and I asked around and the general response was, “I live in X arrondissement and it’s the best. It feels like the real Paris.” We ended up in the Marais which was absolutely perfect for us to get settled in our new city. Plus, most people in the Marais speak English which was super helpful pour moi.
After living in a furnished apartment for 10 months, it was time to live out all my Parisian decorating dreams! We started the hunt to find a unfurnished Parisian apartment that checked all my boxes. My prerequisites were high ceilings, wood floors, original moulding, and 2 bathrooms. I had other requests, but those were my non-negotiables. We hired an experienced apartment locator as house hunting in Paris is very difficult and got VERY lucky. Our current apartment was the first one we saw. It was perfect!
Starting at Carte Blanche, this is the design process I follow for all my personal projects so let’s dig into how YOU can start your own design project, whether it’s one corner of a room or an entire house. Here’s how to start your own interior design project…
Step 1: Le Edit. Don’t skip this step. It’s very important to declutter your space before the next steps. Donate, sell, or trash anything you aren’t using. If you would like more information on this step, please comment below!
Step 2: Create a mood board. You can do this in Canva, Pinterest, Instagram, Google Slides, Photoshop, or whatever program you prefer. I prefer the ease and accessibility of Canva. I gather inspiration photos from Pinterest, Instagram, magazines, Google Images, and books. Put all your photos into one document and analyze the overlapping themes, objects or styles.
Step 3: Decide on the essentials. What are the items you absolutely need to live comfortably? When we moved into our unfurnished apartment, my top priorities were mattresses, a kitchen table, couch, and lighting. From there, you can slowly curate the non-essentials. We don’t want to rush the design process; however, you do need some items off the bat.
Step 4: Write down the Who, What, and How. I’ll talk about this more in future Postcards from Paris, but here’s what you need to know now. WHO is occupying this space? How many people live here? Do kids live here? Do you have pets? Do you host a lot of guests? These are all very important variables in the design process. WHAT are you doing in the space? Are you entertaining? Do you need play areas for young kids? Are you cooking a lot? What are your hobbies? Do you work from home? Analyze exactly what you aspire to do in this space. Now, contemplate the HOW. How do you want to feel in your home? Do you want to feel inspired, calm, energized, organized, happy, fancy, or chic? Pick 3 words to describe how you want to feel. Personally, my goal was to feel inspired, calm, and chic. Your words are your own and take some time to really think about it.
Step 5: Create an Inspiration Phrase. For example, the inspiration for my Parisian apartment is, “1970s Yves Saint Laurent meets The Row.” For this year’s Christmas tree, my inspiration is, “Le Corbusier meets a disco ball.” So, you’ll do the same by combining 2 to 3 styles. Recently, a client and I created a,“Palm Beach meets The Ritz Paris with a modern twist” look for her home. Moving forward, it’s easier to make selections with a goal and style in mind.
Select a design star for each room. What’s the show stopping piece from each room? Maybe it’s a work or art, maybe it’s a dramatic chandelier. You don’t want too many design stars in one room, so pick carefully.
Now, you have your essentials and design stars. From there, you can slowly gather and curate your home over time. If you have any questions or comments about this design process, please ask me in comments!
Bisous,
Allison
P.S. If you need additional design help, I offer 1:1 Design Consultations. If you’re interested in shopping the Paris Flea Market with me, here’s more information.